Strictly Come Dancing star Johnny Ball has fractured professional partner Aliona Vilani’s ankle in rehearsal, The Sun reports.

The dancer will be out of the ballroom for a month with a hairline fracture after Johnny got his legs entangled with hers while rehearsing a tango routine.

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Aliona and Johnny

The BBC have not yet announced Aliona's replacement but said in a statement:

"Her prospects for dancing in the first Strictly live show on 5 October [are] on hold.

"Initial prognosis suggests our plucky pro-dancer may be out of action for the next 2-4 weeks, but a further appointment tomorrow will confirm her condition."

The dancer, who won the competition with McFly's Harry Judd in 2011, posted pictures of herself on Twitter with her right leg elevated and with an ice pack on it.

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She also thanked fans for messages of support on the social networking site.

Aliona is not the first Strictly star to experience an injury - throughout the show's eight-year history, dancers and celebrities have suffered unfortunate pains.

Last year, Artem Chigvintsev was forced to pull out of performing because of a back injury and Anita Dobson's partner Robin Windsor contracted a foot infection.

And Denise Van Outen has recently reported that her feet have become so painful during rehearsals she has had to practise barefoot.

The star - who is paired with professional James Jordan in this year's competition - says she is so sore, she has been unable to even get her shoes on.

And it's not just physical anguish to emerge from the rehearsal studios ahead of the live competition, with reports that Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton has met her match in partner Brendan Cole for intensity and competitiveness.

According to the Daily Mail, the combination of his drive and the punishing physical regime have brought the former cyclist to tears on more than one occasion. Read more here...

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  • Bruce and Tess

  • Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev

  • Johnny Ball and Aliona Vilani

  • Jerry Hall and Anton Du Beke

  • Dani Harmer and Vincent Simone

  • Colin Salmon and Kristina Rihanoff

  • Sid Owen and Ola Jordan

  • Fern Britton and Artem Chigvintsev

  • Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor

  • Richard Arnold and Erin Boag

  • Denise Van Outen and James Jordan

  • Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace

  • Michael Vaughan and Natalie Lowe

  • Victoria Pendleton and Brendan Cole

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